Injuries by crane or heavy equipment are serious construction accidents that often result in traumatic injury or death to New York construction workers and civilians.

The New York crane accident attorneys at Queller, Fisher, Washor, Fuchs & Kool have the medical and legal knowledge and experience to handle complex New York crane accidents resulting in serious injury or death to employees or civilians.

Several high-profile New York City crane accidents in recent years have claimed lives of New York construction workers, civilians and tourists and even resulted in criminal charges, including the arrest of a building inspector charged with lying about conducting routine safety inspections on a crane that collapsed in a fatal accident.

An accident in May 2008 resulted in a the death of two construction workers when a crane slammed into a penthouse in a nearby building and tore off a row of balconies, showering bricks and debris onto the street.

Common causes of serious or fatal crane injuries include power line injuries, overturned cranes, dropped loads, collapsing booms, falls and rigging failures.

The New York City Building Department licenses more than 1,700 crane operators. Malfunctioning equipment, high wind, poorly designed crane or job sites, excessive weight, poorly maintained equipment, unperformed or poorly performed safety inspections, ignoring common safety practices and inexperienced or inadequate crane operation can all contribute to a serious or fatal crane accident.

Data from the U.S. Census of Fatal Occupational Injury identified 632 deaths involving cranes from 1992 and 2006 – an average of 42 deaths per year. The majority of the deaths were caused by truck cranes, followed by overhead or gantry cranes, tower cranes and floating or barge cranes.

There are specific licensing, safety and inspection requirements for cranes operating within New York City. In fact, crane operators are required to be licensed separately through the city and receive one of three types of crane licenses depending on what type of crane they are permitted to operate.

Crane injuries and deaths resulting from New York crane accidents are complex legal cases involving city, state and federal laws and regulations and require a New York crane accident lawyer experienced in wrongful death litigation and serious injury cases, including traumatic brain injury, spinal cord injury, amputation injuries and physical therapy, rehabilitation and disability issues.

If you have been injured in as a result of a crane accident, the New York crane accident lawyers and personal injury and wrongful death attorneys at Queller, Fisher, Washor, Fuchs & Kool offer free and confidential appointments to discuss your rights.

Call the New York law office of Queller, Fisher, Washor, Fuchs & Kool at 212-406-1700.